Feeder for corn-shellers.



1 No. 669,718. Patented Man l2, lam. 1.. u. WHITTEMDBE.

FEEDER FOR CORN SHELLEBS.

(Application filed Dec. 8; 1900.!

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FFIQEQ LEWIS O. WHI'ITEMORE, OF VERONA, ILLINOIS.

FEEDER FOR CORN-SHELLERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 669,718, dated March12, 1901..

Application filed December 3, 1900. $erial No. 38,501. \No models ToctZZ whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS O. WHITTEMORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Verona, in the county of Grundy and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Feeder for Corn-Shellers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is an improved feeder for corn-shellers; and it consists inthe peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fullyset forth and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved conveyer trough fordischarging corn from a corn-crib and an improved mechanism, operated bypower from a portable corn-shelling maohine, which, in connection withthe said trough, conveys the corn from the crib to the corn-shellingmachine to feed the latter while the same is in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional Viewthrough a corncrib provided with my improved conveyingtrough and apartial elevation of a feeder for conveying corn from the crib to acorn-shelling machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my improved feederand a partial horizontal sectional View of the crib. Fig. 3 is a detailtransverse sectional view taken on a plane indicated by the line a C6 ofFig. 2.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide a corn-crib A with a troughB, which is disposed under the floor of the crib and extends from oneside thereof to the other, the ends of the trough being open and one endthereof projecting beyond one side of the crib, as at O. The trough Bcomprises the vertically-disposed side boards 1 and the horizontallydisposed connecting board 2, which forms the bottom of the upperlongitudinal section of the trough, the latter being substantially H-shaped in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3. In the sides of thetrough, at one end thereof, are open slots 3. In the sides of thetrough, at the projecting ends thereof, are open slots 4:. The trough iscovered by a series of removable sections 5, which are disposed,preferably, in the plane of the floor of the crib, as indicated in thedrawings, so that when the sections 5 are removed to uncover the troughthe corn in the crib may readily flow or be shoveled into said trough.

In connection with the trough B, which is a permanent structure andforms a portion of the crib, I employ a trough section or head 6, whichcomprises sides 7 and a projecting transversely disposed connectingboard8, which extends from the inner side of said trough head or section 6and is adapted to fit in the openings 4 in the projecting end of troughB, the said head-section 6 being secured to said projection (J of thetrough by bolts or pins 9, which pass through alined openings in thesides of the trough and in the extended board 8 of section 6. In thesides of detachable section 6 is journaled a shaft 10, provided at itscenter with a sprocketwheel 11 and at one end with a sprocketwheel 12. Ashaft 13 is adapted to be journaled in the end of the trough oppositethe detachable section 6 by mounting said shaft 13 in the inner ends ofthe openings 3, and said shaft 13 has a sprocket-wheel 14. An endlessconveying-chain 15, which is of suitable length and is constructed ofdetachable links, so that its length may be varied at will, is employedwhen the invention is in operation to connect the sprocket-wheels 14: 11on the respective shafts 13 and to operate on the board 2, whichconnects the sides of trough B, and said chain is provided at suit ableregular distances apart with flights 16, which operate in the saidtrough B, the said chain and said flights comprising an endlesstraveling conveyer operated by the shafts 10 13 and which is adapted toconvey corn delivered thereon from the crib through the trough anddischarge the same onto the usual inclined conveyer 17, which carriesthe corn to the shelling-machine and feeds the same.

Only so much of a corn-shelling machine is here shown as is required forthe explanation of my invention, the shelling-machine being indicated atD in Fig. 1 and being provided with the usual power-shaft 18, having apulley 19. In the embodiment of my invention I provide the corn-shellingmachine with a shaft 20,having a pulley 21, which is connected to thepulley 19 of power-shaft 18 by an endless belt, (indicated at 22.) Saidshaft 21 is mounted in suitable bearings 23 on a portion of the frame ofthe corn-shelling machine, and said shaft is geared to a stubshaft 24 bymeans of beveled gears 25 (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.) Saidstubshaft 24 is mounted in a suitable bearing on I owing to the lengthof the conveyer 1 7', and

I employ idle sheaves 28, which support the intermediate portions ofsaid chain, said sheave 28 being mountedon a'stake 29; Whichmay bereadily driven into the ground'inthe required position, as shown in Fig.1.

In practice a single corn-shelling machine is usually sufficient toshell all the corn raised on a number of farms in a neighborh0od',.and Iprovide acorn-shelling machine, as hereinbefore indicated, with thetrongh-section6, and propose to provide all of the "corn-cribs in theneighborhood in which the corn-shelling machine is used With troughs B,so that the corn-sheller may be connected to various troughs B of thecorn-cribs and used for feeding the corn from the cribs to the sheller.

In setting up the corn-shelling machine for operation in connection withmy improved feeder I first attach the sections 6 to the proje'cting ends0 of the trough B, mount the shaft 13 in the opposite end of the trough,connect the said shafts l3 10 by the conveyerchain 15 by causing thesame to engage the sprocket-wheels on said shafts, the chain beinglengthened or shortened, as may be reqnired to adapt the same to thelength of the trough B,and then connect the sprocket-wheel 12 ofdetachable section 6 of the trough B with the sprocket-Wheel 26, drivenby the cornshelling machine, by the chain 27, as hereinbefore stated.When the crib has been emptied and the corn shelled, the sections 5 arereplaced on the trough B to cover the same, the chain 15 disconnected,the shaft 13 unshipped and the detachable section 6 of the feed conveyertrough removed therefrom.

The corn-shelling machine is then driven to. another crib and theoperation hereinbefore described repeated.

fixed trough, a detachable section at one end thereof, a shaft journaledin said detachable section, and having a power-wheel, bearings at theopposite end of said trough, a shaft in and adapted to be unshipped fromsaid bearings and an endless'conveyer connecting said shafts,substantially as described.

' 2. A feeder for corn-shellers comprising a 'fixe'dtrou'gh havingopenbearings at' one end, :a shaft in said bearings, a detachablesection at the opposite end, a power-shaft journaled in hearings in saiddetachable section. and an endless conveyer connecting said shafts anddisposed'in said trough, substantially as described. I H

3. A feeder for corn shellers, having a trough, a removable cover forthe trough, the latter comprising the side boards 1 and connecting-board2 and having the opening-Sam one end and the openings 4 at the otherend, a shaft l3adapted to be mounted in said openings 3, a detachablesection having the extended board 8'at its inner end adapted to besecured in the openings 4, the shaft 10 in said detachable section,means to rotate said shaft and an endless traveling conveying element 7scribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS" O. WVHITTEMORE.

Witnesses: HENRY BRINK, J. L. WATERMAN.

